Completion
by PetPetAngel
Summary: After it's all over and they all hurt, Ryou and Yuugi are left to depend on only each other to pick the pieces back up. Spoilers, YamiYuugi and BakuraRyou. Slight RyouYuugi.


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Completion

Written by:

PetPetAngel

Pairing: Yami x Yuugi, Bakura x Ryou

Dedicated to: No one in particular, perhaps my deep Puzzleshipping fans that I seem to have so rudely left behind. I'm sorry you guys! I didn't mean to! I just... Totally got carried away. -o- Sorry about that.

Also, I'm hoping to attract some Bakura/Ryou fans with this, for that is the secondary pairing.

Notes: This was inspired by watching the last eight minutes or so of the Yuugioh series. SPOILERS (READ AS: DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THE END OF YUUGIOH): Seeing how upset Yuugi was over the departure of his Yami, I said, well, what if Ryou also lost his Yami? Would they find comfort in the other? And of course I said, 'Of course!'

Though I am unsure when I'll be able to update with two other multi-chaptered stories... XD;;; But really, the END was so slashy, even if it was in Japanese and for the life of me I couldn't understand it. XD I totally got a vibe.

Dub totally ruined their bond. Why doesn't 'Aibou' ('Partner') carry over? Does 'Mou Hitori no Boku' ('the other me')?

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_"You have to feel the pain,  
When you lose the love you gave someone...  
I thought by now the time,  
Would take away these lonely tears...  
I hope you're doing fine all alone,  
But where do I go from here 'cause,  
Without you I'm not okay..."_

- "Without You" - Dixie Chicks

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Yuugi sighed softly as he walked along with his friends, discreetly holding Ryou's hand and chatting cheerfully with them all, for this was how their days were. Every once in a great while, Ryou would interject with his opinion, perhaps a bit of information or even a witty remark if the occasion came for it. Then he would fall silent again and smile to his feet, waiting until the next opportunity. Truly, this was what Yuugi wished to do as well, but he resisted for he could not; Ryou could for it was his nature. He couldn't for it was not his nature.

This was how each day went, them all walking to school, a petty arguement between Honda and Jounouchi, then perhaps a maternal like scolding from Anzu. School would generally go the same as well, just as it had been before --- before all that, Yuugi thought to himself frowning thoughtfully. School, boring old school, with too many hours and even more too many classes, with the occasional bully threatening Ryou or Yuugi; because we're prime meat, Ryou thought. We feed them the fear they live on, the fear that makes them the bullies they are.

Ryou sighed quietly to himself, only hoping that no one would notice. No one _did_ notice, well, except Yuugi that is. Yuugi smiled softly at him and nodded in understanding. It was the morning, it was when they used to be held by them, and Ryou didn't have those arms around him and neither did Yuugi. It left a sore spot in their hearts, one that each felt only the other could understand. How could the others possibly? It was impossible, for they may have had a lingering ache in their hearts, but not like them. Never, ever like them.

Ryou then heard Yuugi sigh, and returned the smile that he had received but moments before. Yuugi shrugged nonchalantly, determined not to make Ryou worried, but all that shrug told Ryou was that it was worse today than it had been, and that Yuugi had not gotten proper sleep as of late.

It had been the same for him, try as he might sleep, morning always came and he was still fruitless. They both had bags under their eyes, and of course the others noticed, but it was cast off quickly. For somehow Ryou and Yuugi had earned themselves some privacy.

Maybe it was because they were gone. They were gone and they were never coming back. Familiar arms would never hold them ever again, nor would familiar lips meet theirs. There would be no familiar forms holding them close, like two pieces of a puzzle. There would not be a moment when their hands were held by larger ones, nor would there ever be a time again when those hands would stroke softly through their hair. It was because of one, simple, painstaking moment.

They were gone and they were never coming back, no matter what they hoped or wished for.

Yuugi sighed and stared hopelessly at his feet, losing his prescence in the conversation and not really caring. Thinking of him had lost him his will for the time being, but all he did in remedy was clutch Ryou's hand tighter. Ryou, noticing this, smiled bitterly and returned the gesture as he noticed those eyes cloud over. Whenever Yuugi's eyes clouded over like that --- that meant he was remembering.

That meant that, for the time being, he wasn't there. He was long gone in the past, maybe as short as a few months ago but perhaps a few thousand years ago. Whenever his other was.

Ryou had been that way, too, and he still was. This was why they needed each other. Because the other understood, actually, _truly_ understood. Not pretended to to make anyone feel better, for that they could do for themselves. They could pretend, pretend to be okay, for themselves, for others. But that wasn't good enough, to pretend it hadn't happened, that they weren't gone.

So, in love of the understanding that they had gained towards each other, they found solace within one another. No, it was not love. It was mutual understanding.

Sometimes they thought (for they always shared what they thought with each other) if it would be this way forever. Would it be forever that they would find comfort in the other's embrace, only because their significant other, their _true_ significant other, was no longer there? Would it be forever that they would hold the other's hand, for hope, for balance, so that reality did not topple them over? Would they shield one another forever, hoping that the strong winds would not blow them over and away? Would it be forever for all this, until the ache was gone?

Would the ache ever be gone to begin with? No, no, no, they had decided. Never, never until they were back. So perhaps it would be that way forever, holding each other, because they were never coming back and so that ache would never leave? That was bitter truth of it all, once they were gone, they were gone forever. They would never be back, and that was certain.

And so perhaps they would be sharing those chaste kisses, quick, quick kisses that never got the point across. For there was not a point, it was a kiss, it was comfort, it was not love. It was not truth.

Perhaps it was just a substitute. No matter how cruel that sounded (Ryou never used that word, _cruel_, and he winced everytime he heard it as well), it was the truth, and they both knew it. Their embraces were not knitted from love, nor their kisses. But that was okay, because it was all mutual. There was consent on both sides, so how could it be wrong? When you know why someone does something, and it's not what you need, but you return it, does it really matter? It was not love. It was trust and truth.

Because they were gone. Yami no Bakura, Bakura, Mou Hitori no Yuugi, Yami, they were never coming back. For their home was in Egypt, three-thousand years into the past. No matter how right it felt to be in one's arms or to hold them, it did not matter. Destiny, fate, had not played it out that way and so it would not be that way.

Fate sided them both back to Egypt, Yami, as Pharaoh Atem, Bakura as Tomb Robber Bakura. That was how fate laid it out, and so it was, and so it will be.

And they were never coming back. Ever. Again.

Yuugi sighed, and this time, there was no mutual comfort for either of them, for Ryou sighed as well. Noticing her friend's lacklustre participation in the conversation, Anzu slowed down to walk next to them and questioned them on their behaviour. The response had long since been mechanical, "Nothing," they said in unison. "Nothing at all." Anzu lifted a skeptical eyebrow, but said no more in comment to the reponse. Both Ryou and Yuugi knew, that eventually, they would get it out of them.

Somehow, in perhaps a very Bakura-esque way, minus the violence, was what Ryou had always said.

No one had thought anything over Ryou and Yuugi's oddly timed get together, each received a congratulatory pat on the back when the group was told and they went out to celebrate, much to the "couple"'s complete embarrassment. No one thought anything at all, no odd "Why come out of the closet now?" questions. If anyone had any suspicions, they did not voice them.

That is --- except the one and only Seto Kaiba, who had decided to take an odd obsession from his curiousity. Even if the billionaire said, "Not that I'm curious or anything," it meant nothing to them. They knew he was curious for when confronted with the two, and in a very un-Kaiba-like way, he lost all count of priorities.

Yuugi often thought that no one paid any mind to the odd timing of the get together was because, inside, they were all falling apart, little by little, whether or not they knew it. Having Yuugi and Ryou lose their cheerful attitude had dampened the mood of the group in an overal view, but still they let the two Hikaris live their peace out. Perhaps they did notice the awkward timing --- right after loosing their Yamis, but if they had they said very little over it. Maybe, they didn't really mind. Maybe, they didn't even care at all. But such thoughts were pushed away in favor of kinder ones. For that was human nature.

Anzu stared at her friends worriedly, for over time they had grown quieter and quieter than their already shy nature. Anzu thought that she just might know what was bothering them, but she was too afraid to be wrong and ignite old fears and doubts, old emotions that might not actually be so old, but perhaps just a little dusty. She could easily guess that this quietness that had taken over her friend's were from losing Yami and Bakura. But like she had said; the fear was too strong. But it made sense. Just as their darker halves disappeared, they go quiet. Simple as that.

Anzu huffed a bit, only slightly, half-heartedly, annoyed at her friends. It wasn't as if losing Yami and Bakura (but mostly Yami probably, because Bakura had had very little positive association with them) hadn't hurt them as well. In fact, Anzu felt a sore in her heart as well, for she had cared deeply for Yami. Perhaps even loved him.

But now that he was gone from Yuugi it was almost as if part of him was missing from Yuugi, like part of Yuugi had left, died, passed on and decided to finally not come back. Just decided to finally turn away, missing in action forever.

Anzu felt her annoyed expression soften. How could she think that way about her friend(s)? If even _she_ felt that there was something missing from Yuugi... Just imagine how he feels, she thought to herself. Yami was like the other half of his soul, the other side of his personality, his alter ego. If she felt something was missing, she could barely think of how Yuugi _himself_ felt while having part of his soul missing. Empty? Lonely? Incomplete, maybe?

It didn't sound that impossible, and Anzu berated herself and her rudeness. Just imagine, she thought. Never quite feeling complete ever again.

Jou glanced out of the corner of his eye towards his friends, who had grown incredibly silent in the tail of the group. Poor Yuug' and Ryou. I wonda' what's buggin' 'em? Maybe it's the fact that Yami's gone, been gone for a while. Maybe Ryou even missed Bakura in some very, very strange way. Though Jounouchi _did_ miss mou hitori no Yuugi, he couldn't bring himself to be _too_ upset over it. For he had not become friends with mou hitori no Yuugi, he was friends with Yuugi. But Jounouchi certainly did miss him; for in a way, after the Orichalcos, he had seen mou hitori no Yuugi, and seen his caring for his best friend.

In that way, he missed him for he was missing part of himself --- both of them were.

That was the reason for their silence. Who _would_ wanna talk while part of 'em was missin'? Jou sighed softly and glanced at the pair out of the corner of his eye, barely managing a soft smile at the gesture that they were sharing. Maybe they're not even a real couple, Jou thought. Maybe they were just there for each other like we can't be. Jou nodded. That made sense --- well, as much sense as it was going to make when it was related to Yuugi and Ryou. And suddenly, Jou grinned. All the chaos always seemed to happen to Yuugi, but so did all the good things. The blessin' followin' the curse, Jou thought.

But at the end of the day, it would always end the same. Yuugi and Ryou would either head to the Kame gameshop or to Ryou's, depending on their mood. If they were in a foul mood (or perhaps running from bullies), they would had to Ryou's. If just trying to hide away from the world, Yuugi's room was their sanctuary. Jou had sometimes wondered what the two boys did when they were together, and when he found out he was sort of surprised. And a little disappointed too.

He thought that his friends deserved some happiness and thought that they were finally finding some. From each other.

But this wasn't so. For what the two did was merely talk --- but not just about anything. They spoke about their others, and there were times that Jou thought that if mou hitori no Yuugi had stayed around, Yuugi would've found happiness in his arms. He supposed that, with Ryou's dedication, he and Bakura could also get along, then slowly work themselves into a relationship. It would be weird, but it _was_ Bakura afterall. Jou had always thought that if anyone was going to be bad at expressing themselves (besides the ass of a CEO Seto Kaiba), Bakura would always be the winner.

But it didn't matter anymore, because they weren't coming back. They could wish and hope and all they wanted, but they knew, all of them knew, that they were never coming back, no matter how much Yuugi and Ryou wanted them to. They were gone for good, and though it sounded like the most pessimistic thing you could say to a wounded heart, it was only the truth.

In this case, the truth was nothing more than just the best thing to say, for this honesty would grow Yuugi and Ryou's stregnth of heart.

Somehow, somehow, it would be okay.

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TBC

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_I hope you like it so far! _


End file.
